


Airheads

by longhairshortfuse



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Airports, M/M, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-03-31 22:46:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3995938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longhairshortfuse/pseuds/longhairshortfuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos is in plenty of time for his flight home from his first foreign conference to Luftnarp. Cecil is in a hurry to catch his flight home after his trip to Europe. An accident causes both of them to get in trouble with airport security. Cecil misses his flight, but there is one seat left on Carlos's plane.</p><p>Can you guess where it is?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Airport Security and Questionable Souvenirs.

**Author's Note:**

> I spent today at an airport and on a plane. Felt like writing a travel themed fic.  
> There will be fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations at the end.

Carlos picked up his bag from the tarmac outside the airport and headed to the check in desk. He had three hours to get through security and find his gate, plenty of time to decipher signs and instructions in a language he had hoped to pick up more of on his trip. Unfortunately his conference lasted from breakfast each day until late night, leaving little time to absorb local culture and the organised sightseeing trips were sanitized, soulless events. 

The young scientist was proud of his organising and packing skills. A week at an academic conference in Europe, his first abroad, and all of his clothes and papers packed into one regulation-sized carry-on bag. He patted his pocket, checking for his passport and ticket, and jogged across the check-in hall. 

His journey was short. Carlos sprawled on the polished floor in a tangle of limbs. He tried to push himself up with his hands but slid back to meet the floor due to an unfamiliar weight on his back. He rolled over and tried to sit up again. This time his fight with gravity had more success. Carlos sat up to see a man lying out cold on the floor beside him and three armed security guards pointing the business end of three semi-automatic weapons at him and the unconscious stranger. 

Another two security guards arrived after a shout from their colleagues, picked up Carlos's bag and what Carlos assumed was the stranger's luggage, and walked away. Someone patted Carlos's shoulder and helped him up with a firm grip and steered him after his bag. A few minutes later, Carlos sat in a small, sparsely furnished room with his passport and ticket in his hand and a worried expression on his face. His bag, systematically unpacked and with his belongings spread out, lay on the table in front of him. A security guard pointed to a few items and asked terse questions in a language Carlos did not understand.

The guard pointed at Carlos's work and stared at Carlos. "Co to są te papiery do? Oni nie mają sensu."[1]  
Carlos stammered out a reply. "That is my scientific report about time shifts in close proximity to mountains and other large land masses."  
The guard was not satisfied. He pointed at a blinking electronic device, and demanded, "Co w imię wszystkiego, co jest dobre, a to za ustrojstwo czysta?"[2]  
The door opened to admit two more guards and the strange young man who had collided with Carlos, knocked him over and knocked himself out in the process. Another chair was brought for him and the man was made to sit beside Carlos.  
"That is my danger meter," Carlos reached for the machine. "May I?" Firm hands held Carlos down in his seat. Clearly he may not. The guard prodded it and jumped back. The danger meter flashed amber once. Carlos sighed. He was only in moderate danger so far. "Really it is very scientific. I invented it myself."

The man looked round and smiled at Carlos. "You are a scientist! That is so... so... neat!"  
He reddened and covered his mouth with one hand, the other hand rubbing his head. He groaned.  
Carlos, concerned, asked the man if he was okay, but before he received a reply the guard at the table continued poking through his belongings.  
An abrupt demand, "Co jest w tym śmierdzącym plastikowej torbie?" [3]  
Carlos shook his head. "No, please don't look in there. It's my laundry!"  
Too late. The guard emptied the bag out onto the table and sorted through a week's worth of Carlos's worn clothing. Carlos groaned, turned his head away from the man sitting beside him and stared at the wall.  
A giggle got his attention. Carlos went red as the guard examined his underwear and the man beside him grinned. "You have Battle of the Planets underpants! Oh, is that Superman? That's sweet!"  
"Please," Carlos begged. "Never speak of this."

Soon the guard was satisfied that nothing in Carlos's luggage posed a threat to international security, perhaps except for the danger meter, and he signalled for Carlos to show his passport and ticket and pack his bag again. The other man watched as Carlos completed the three dimensional jigsaw that made efficient use of the allowed capacity.  
"Dr Carlos Scientist, podróży do San Diego. Jaki był cel twojej podróży do Luftnarp?" [4]  
"I'm sorry but I have been at a scientific conference all week and I did not find time to learn your language," Carlos apologised.  
"He asked why you were in Luftnarp."  
Carlos looked round at the man. "Thank you for translating. Please could you tell him that I was at a very scientific conference and the device in his hand is my danger meter and if he likes I can show him how it works and that it is not dangerous in itself? Scientifically it measures danger but does not cause danger."  
The man smiled and nodded, "Piękna naukowiec twierdzi, maszyna migać jest bezpieczny. Chce pokazać, co robi." [5]

The guard laughed at the other man and handed the danger meter to Carlos. The scientist pointed it at various objects and pressed a button, explaining that since it stayed in the green and amber range they were in no immediate danger. He pointed it at the man who kindly translated for him, frowned and shook his device.  
"This is really odd. I have never seen a reading like this before. This is... wow... so scientifically interesting! Unless..." Carlos frowned and bit his lip, turned his danger meter off and on again and repeated his measurements while the source of his interest stared at his face, his hair and the way his teeth gripped his lower lip.  
Eventually the man spoke, interrupting Carlos's hmm-s and making his hand pause while stroking his chin.  
"What's wrong? Am I in danger? Am I dangerous?"  
Carlos grinned. "I have no idea! This is so exciting! Your reading leaps right up to the red, and we all know that is the most dangerous colour, but you show as zero, look, exactly zero fatality units. That is less than me and I am the safest person I know! But the lights blink red real fast. I have no idea what this means! I can't wait to figure it out. I love thinking about things I do not understand, until I do understand them.  
Cecil smiled at Carlos and tried to translate for the guard. "Naukowiec jest szczęśliwy, bo nie wie wszystkiego. Myślę, że ma piękne włosy" [6]  
The guard laughed and nodded.

Carlos's guard guided him to sit again with his bag by his feet. The other man's bags were hoisted onto the table and opened. The guard held out a hand for travel documents.  
"Cecil Palmer, traveling to... I can not read the destination. You will miss your flight." the guard flicked his eyes from the disappointed young man with the bump on his head to the enthusiastic young scientist and back. He spoke too quickly to a colleague for Cecil to translate, then turned back to Cecil.  
"I asked her to find you a seat on a later flight." His eyes flicked back to the scientist. "You should be supervised for the next few hours. Are you with a student group or family?"  
Cecil's face fell. "No, I am travelling alone. I want to go home, please, I need to go home."  
"I must search your bags. Is there anything you need to tell me first?"  
Cecil shook his head. Carlos watched their interchange.  
"You okay?"  
"He says I will miss my flight and I need to be looked after because I hit my head." He sighed. "They are trying to get me on a later flight but there are not many flights to Night Vale. I could be stuck here for days."  
Carlos frowned. "He is right, you should be under supervision. You knocked yourself unconscious! What happened?"  
"I was running for my flight, check in was about to close. I ran into you instead." Cecil sighed again. "Sorry."

The guard removed objects from Cecil's bags. He held up an object that made Carlos's hand fly to his mouth to stifle a laugh. The guard raised an eyebrow and said, "Uh?"  
"It's a memento of my trip to Franchia. It is a model of one of the many monuments I saw there." Cecil explained.  
Carlos snorted. "Mr Palmer, are you sure? I mean, from a certain angle it looks like--"  
Cecil frowned. "No, it is a model. They are very popular. Look, it says on the base, I had such a good time in Franchia that I'd like you to come with me."  
Carlos covered his mouth, stared at the wall and tried not to laugh. The security guard appeared to have something in his eye. 

The rest of the search of Cecil's luggage revealed an eclectic fashion sense and a penchant for trinkets, each with story attached. Carlos found he enjoyed listening to Cecil's stories. The young man had a great voice for storytelling and a fantastic imagination. There was nothing in Cecil's bags that aroused suspicion and he was allowed to pack again. His method differed from Carlos's. The scientist watches Cecil stuff his belongings into his bags and wad them down, asking the guard to help hold one bag closed while Cecil wrestled the zipper. 

Their guard's colleague returned and the two uniformed people held a rapid fire conversation that left Cecil shrugging at Carlos.  
"Mr Palmer, there is no available flight to Night Vale this month but the airline can transfer you to the San Diego flight. They suggest you take a connecting flight from there."  
Cecil opened his mouth, but closed it again when Carlos said, "Hey that's my flight. Maybe I should look after you."  
Cecil nodded and smiled at the guards. "Thank you, Dr Scientist. That is a very kind offer. Um, where exactly is San Diego?"  
Carlos laughed. "California, so far south it is almost Mexico. Where exactly is Night Vale?"  
Cecil shrugged. "It's in America, of course! In the desert. I guess San Diego is close enough, I mean, it's in the same country, right?"  
Carlos knew he should give the younger-looking man a geography lesson just in case, but he compared the prospect of spending an eleven hour flight sitting next to some random person who might have personal space issues, or spending eleven hours listening to Cecil's voice telling him stories about his travels and simply said, "Yeah. Let's get checked in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] "What are these papers? They make no sense."  
> [2] "What in the name of all that is good and pure is this contraption?"  
> [3] "What is in this stinking plastic bag?"  
> [4] "Dr Carlos Scientist, travelling to San Diego. What was the purpose of your trip to Luftnarp?"  
> [5] "Beautiful scientist says the machine is safe to blink. He wants to show you what he was doing."  
> [6] "The scientist is happy because he does not know everything. I think he has lovely hair."
> 
> I got fed up of using google translate on my mobile after this. I am trying to learn Polish, though!


	2. Strangers

Carlos and his new friend waved goodbye to the security team, lifted their luggage and found their check-in desk. They checked in without further incident, Cecil offloaded the bigger of his bags, watching it disappear through a hatch on the conveyor belt, double tagged for NVA and SAN. He turned to Carlos.  
"I wonder where that goes. Are you checking a bag?"  
Carlos shook his head. "No. I travel light. It saves time at the other end."  
"Oh. Have you been away from home for long?"  
"Just a week." Carlos shrugged. "I can manage up to about ten days with hand luggage. More if there is a laundry nearby. How long have you been away from home?"  
Cecil laughed and smiled. "I have no idea. Long enough to visit Franchia, Svitz and Luftnarp and make new friends there. I lose track of time real easy."  
Carlos nudged Cecil's arm. "I want to hear more about your travels. Especially your trip to Franchia."

The security team waved them through into the departure lounge without any further searches. Cecil wanted to look in all the little airport boutiques and junk shops, Carlos wanted coffee. They reached a compromise. Carlos would get coffee and look after Cecil's bag while Cecil perused overpriced trinkets. Carlos watched as Cecil sashayed off, then looked around in case anyone clocked that he had been staring at Cecil's ass.

Cecil returned quickly with a small bag. He sat opposite Carlos and pushed it across the table. "I got you a gift for looking after me. I hope you like it, I thought it would match your eyes."  
Carlos's mouth made an "Oh?" but no sound came out. He peered into the bag, smiled and looked up to say thank you, but Cecil had gone to join the line at the coffee bar. Carlos pulled out the deep brown scarf with amber swirls and felt the fabric slip between his fingers. Cecil returned with two double espressos and set them on the table.  
"May I?" Cecil held his hand out. Carlos gave him the scarf. Cecil looped it around Carlos's neck and tied it loosely, pulling and smoothing out the front like a cravat. "Open your shirt a bit more and tuck the ends under."  
Carlos did as he was asked and looked up. Cecil smiled. "You look good!"  
"Thank you." Carlos smiled back, heat rising up his face. "I, um, I don't hear that said to me often."

Cecil gulped his coffee, pointed at Carlos's half-sipped cup and asked, "another?"  
Carlos shook his head. "Better not. I want to sleep on the plane if I can. I would offer to buy you a glass of wine but after that knock on the head it probably would not be advisable to have alcohol."  
Cecil tightened his mouth, looked up and waggled his head from side to side. "We-e-ell, I could keep you company, and I have you to look after me. Maybe one would be okay. There is a bar."  
Cecil pointed. Carlos checked the clock, checked his boarding card and mumbled that there probably wasn't time anyway and they ought to go to the gate real soon.

Cecil and Carlos walked to their gate side by side, apologising every time they bumped into each other or brushed arms as they averted collisions with other travellers. The gate was already busy. Cecil chose a pair of seats facing the crowd. Carlos sighed.  
"I hate hanging around like this. It is so boring. It's too noisy to read, I have to listen out for announcements and there are people everywhere!"  
Cecil laughed. "I love it! I like to make up stories about the people I see. Not within earshot, of course. Nobody wants to hear my fantasies about them!" Cecil blushed and bit his lip. Carlos stared at the ceiling. Cecil leaned close. "Over there, standing right by the cordoned-off area. That woman and the guy next to her?"  
Carlos looked and nodded, aware of the ghost of the breath from Cecil's quiet words by his ear. The two other travellers stood close together, each lost in their own thoughts. Cecil giggled.

"Okay, she's got her own business, look at that suit! And he's her assistant. I bet they've been on some business trip to sell whatever they make in Luftnarp, or maybe to open a new factory. They're probably married but they're so comfortably bored with each other that neither of them needs to try to be entertaining. They simply exist in each other's lives and that's enough."  
Carlos grinned. "What do you think they make in their new factory?"  
Cecil shrugged. "He looks like he could use a rubber model of a Franchian monument. I bet they make model monuments that do stuff. I dunno. Light up and buzz or something."  
Carlos covered his mouth to stifle a giggle. "Okay, the woman is Professor Kyali. She's my boss. We were at the same conference. The guy is her assistant and he is a bit of a... monument. They probably just had a row about funding or something like that."

Cecil apologised and laughed. "Okay, your turn. Put that scientific mind to work."  
"Okay. I see someone on a gap year. Probably worked for a while after college to get enough money to fund their trip, someone who has enough cash for a few more weeks but is still cutting it short. Homesick, I'd say. Someone who feels a real strong connection to home. Maybe lives with family and misses them, often feels lonely and likes talking to strangers."  
"Handsome strangers." Cecil corrected Carlos. "Not bad, mister scientist, but I live on my own. And you're not a stranger now." He leaned in close. "I mean, I've seen your underpants and you've seen my souvenirs."  
"Oh?" Carlos sniggered and raised one eyebrow, glanced round to catch Cecil studying his face. "I don't remember us actually being introduced." He held out his right hand. "Hello, I'm Carlos. I am a scientist. I study... science. Nice to meet you...?"  
Cecil clasped Carlos's right hand with his own. "Cecil. I work at my community radio station. I'm going to have my own show there one day soon."  
Carlos smiled. "That's so cool! You have a great voice. Scientifically speaking, of course, your voice is very clear and soothing. Just the right mix of frequencies and steady cadence. I bet you could say anything with that voice. Umm... obviously you can say anything you want but..."  
Carlos looked away, reddening again. Cecil blushed unseen.  
"Neat!"  
Each hoped the other wouldn't find it uncomfortable that they held the handshake a little longer than necessary.

Carlos leaned back in his chair and watched Cecil, hunched forward, watching others and smiling.  
"Will you do a radio show about travel?" Carlos asked. "You could broadcast a young people's guide to touring abroad, or maybe visit places then make a show about all the things you recommend people your age do and see."  
Cecil looked round and smiled. "That's a great idea, but I doubt Station Management would pay for me to go on vacation."  
"What if you did, though, which age group would you aim your show at?"  
"Oh, people of any age can travel so I guess I'd try to include something for everyone."  
"Huh. You could take your girlfriend or boyfriend with you and--"  
Cecil laughed. "No, I want to go home and stay there. I miss Night Vale. Funny, when I left to go on this trip I couldn't wait to get away. Now I can hardly wait to get home." He sat back and half turned to face Carlos, reached a hand out but stopped before he touched his target. "You're pretty young to have grey hair. Just there, I'm sure I saw a glint. Will your girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever point it out when they meet you off the plane?"  
Carlos fingered the hair at his temple. Cecil watched the way the strands rolled between finger and thumb. "It's genetic. My family goes grey real early."

Cecil nudged Carlos's arm. "I think the line is moving now."  
Carlos watched as his boss almost ran down the priority boarding lane for business class. He got his passport and boarding card ready and stood up to follow Cecil into the area for general boarding, trundling his carry-on case behind him. The line moved steadily forward. Cecil, several places ahead of Carlos, glanced back and smiled, gestured at Carlos to join him. Carlos shook his head, gesturing at the people in front of him and shrugging. Cecil called out.  
"Carlos? Carlos there you are!" He turned to the people behind him. "Do you mind if my friend cuts in? We're together but we got separated in the crush. I hate flying, I get real nervous." People grumbled but stood aside. "Carlos?"  
Carlos walked forward, muttering thanks without making eye contact. Cecil took his arm and spoke quietly. "Sorry, I really do get nervous about flying. I try not to think about being trapped inside a huge lump of metal held up only by forces caused by insubstantial air flow, but I panic."  
Carlos laughed. "It's science, Cecil, it's fine. There is nothing to be afraid of."  
Cecil frowned. "And yet I am afraid, and knowing my fear is irrational does not make it any less physical. My heart is pounding, I'm sweating and I have a strange compulsion to turn and run."  
Carlos felt a tremor of fear of a different kind. "Uh... I am sorry, Cecil, I did not mean to offend you by being tactless. It is one of my faults but the more I am called out on it the better I will become at not offending people in that way." Cecil tightened his grip on Carlos's arm. "Would it help if I explain aerodynamics once we find our seats?"  
Cecil smiled. "Worth a try. I may as well learn some science. It's not every day I get to spend time with a handsome scientist."

Carlos sighed. "Why do you call me that? I am not handsome. I know I am not physically attractive and it's fine. Are you making fun of the way I look? I know my hair looks wild and my teeth are too big and... oh, you're next."  
Cecil handed his boarding pass and passport to the ground crew member, waited for the scanning machine to beep and met Carlos by the walkway to the aircraft.  
"I am not making fun of you. Um, do you mind giving me your arm again? I feel better if..." Carlos held his arm out and Cecil clung on. "...if I have something to hold on to. I think you are handsome. I don't mean to embarrass you. Can I say why or would that be weird? I'll stop if it makes you uncomfortable." Carlos shrugged. "You have amazing hair. I like the shape of your face. You smile a lot and show off your perfect teeth. There, three of the things I think make you qualify as handsome."  
Cecil looked sideways at Carlos. Carlos pulled a face, making Cecil giggle.

Cecil had to release Carlos's arm to shuffle down the narrow aisle. Carlos, shuffling close behind, rested his free hand on Cecil's shoulder until they reached their seats.


	3. Something in the air

Cecil had the aisle seat of the middle section, Carlos was beside him with two other strangers on the far side. Cecil apologised and held tight to Carlos's arm with both hands throughout all the welcome announcements, the flight information and the safety demonstration. As the plane taxi-ed to the runway, Cecil's grip tightened. Carlos offered Cecil his other hand too, adding it to the slightly painful knot of white-knuckle clasped fingers. 

It was not a smooth take off. The plane shuddered and juddered as it accelerated down the runway, thumping and bumping, pushing Carlos hard back and down into his seat. Seconds felt like minutes until sudden smoothness returned as the plane left contact with the concrete and the landing gear retracted with a final clunk. Carlos watched Cecil's face. Cecil's eyes were screwed tight shut, his chin almost touched his chest and his breathing was fast but shallow. Carlos reclaimed one hand from Cecil's grasp and touched Cecil's cheek.

"Hey, we're up in the air now. Statistically there are very few accidents during the actual journey, take off is the trickiest and we got through that okay." Carlos stroked Cecil's cheek again, ending with a finger under Cecil's chin. "You okay, Cecil?"  
A cabin steward passing frowned at them and spoke to Carlos. "Is your boyfriend okay? Is he a nervous traveller?"  
Carlos removed his hand from Cecil's face and shook his arm free. "He's not my boyfriend, we just met today. But he is afraid of flying."  
"Oh. Okay. I'll see what I can do to help." 

Cecil looked up. "Sorry about that. And thank you for holding on to me. It's not so much a fear of flying as a fear of dying in the middle of a heap of twisted burning metal. So, tell me about science. I might write a show with a science fun facts segment."  
Carlos smiled. "Aerodynamics?" Cecil nodded. "Okay, lots of people think wings work because of something called the Bernoulli effect, but really it--"  
"Whoa, back up! What's the bur-noo-ey effect?"  
"This." Carlos tore a page out of the dog-eared in-flight magazine and held it up, short side in front of his mouth. He blew across it and the page floated up. Cecil grinned.  
"Oh! If you meant magic you should have said so."  
"It's not magic! It is science. Look, you try." Cecil took the page and blew across it. Sure enough it rose up. "There is no such thing as magic."  
"Wow, really? For a second I hoped I was secretly a magician." Cecil smiled. "Oh well. Maybe science is just a branch of magic and scientists are a kind of magician."  
Carlos shook his head and frowned. "No. I am a scientist, not a magician. It works because the moving air you blow above the paper has lower pressure than the static air below, so the differential pressure pushes the page up. Science."  
"But wouldn't it be awesome to be able to do magic? I'd cast a spell to--"  
"But that's deranged! There's no such thing!" Carlos shrugged. "What's the point in speculating like that?"

Cecil was quiet for a few seconds. Carlos closed his eyes and banged his head against the headrest before turning to watch Cecil's expression. "I did it again, didn't I? Cecil, I am sorry."  
Cecil sighed. "You don't like imagining things? Don't you like to think 'what if...'? That's a shame."  
"It's not that," Carlos explained. I have to use my imagination to be a good scientist, but it has to follow the rules. I can't just fill the gaps in my understanding with anything I like. Sure, it would be nice, but when science doesn't have the answers we are not allowed just to make shit up."  
Cecil nodded. "I think I get it. Science is about making shit up that is consistent with the shit you already know?"  
Carlos laughed. "More or less."  
Cecil smiled. "I still think it sounds like magic."

Carlos talked Cecil through the Bernoulli effect again as their plane climbed higher, making ears pop. Cecil frowned. "If the wings are travelling through the air then the air is moving over the top and bottom the same way, so there shouldn't be any difference in pressure."  
Carlos held up a finger. "Ah, one, the air moves faster over the top of the wing and slower underneath because of the shape of the wing, so there is a difference." He held up a second finger. "Two, some people have a different explanation of how an aircraft generates lift."  
Cecil grinned. "Tell me, is it magic?"  
Carlos sighed and shrugged. "May as well be."

The cabin steward reappeared with two plastic bottles of wine and two plastic tumblers. He handed one each to Cecil and Carlos, and spoke to Cecil. "Hey, don't quote me on this, but it's a long flight and maybe some alcohol will help you sleep. Is your boyfriend looking after you okay?"  
Cecil smiled and said thank you. Carlos repeated that he was not Cecil's boyfriend. The steward shrugged and apologised. When he was out of earshot, Cecil turned to Carlos.  
"You didn't have to make him feel bad."  
"What?' Carlos frowned. "I don't know what you mean!"  
"He was being nice, you corrected him when you didn't have to. It doesn't matter whether he thinks we're a couple or not." Cecil opened his wine, poured and drank.  
"But I'm not your boyfriend." Carlos protested. "It is wrong to pretend to be something I am not."  
Cecil rolled his eyes. "Even if it has no consequences and correcting him made him feel bad?"  
Carlos sighed. "Did I do that thing again? I didn't want you to think I assumed anything about you. Instead, I made you think I'm an asshole." Carlos raised his tumbler and gulped down some wine.  
Cecil took Carlos's hand and shook his head. "No, I know you're not an asshole. But the steward probably thinks you are. Just... call him over, apologise and ask for more wine. Flirt a bit."  
Carlos snorted. "Are you serious?"  
Cecil nodded and smiled slowly.

It worked. On their second mini-bottle of sauvignon blanc, Cecil, having read his horoscope in the complimentary newspaper, was relaxed enough to ask about astrology and Carlos was relaxed enough to speak his mind.  
"Bullshit"  
"Oh come on, it's real popular! There must be something behind it!"  
"Superstition. The idea that flaming balls of hydrogen undergoing nuclear fusion light years away have any influence on our behaviour is ludicrous. I bet you have twelve paragraphs that are so general they could apply to anyone. The fact that you think yours applies to you is confirmation bias."  
Carlos drained his tumbler. Cecil laughed.  
"Okay mister smart-ass scientist. What are you?" Carlos shrugged. "When is your birthday?"  
Carlos shook his head and grinned. "No, read them all and tell me which one fits. If you pick the right one, I'll let you know. I bet they all apply somehow."  
Cecil got to work. "Aries... you will receive a surprise at home from a family member... nope probably not that one. Taurus... On a journey today, take the opportunity to make a friend out of a stranger. You will find something you did not know you were looking for. It is a good time to take a risk. Huh. I think you're a Taurus."  
"Can I see that? It could just as easily apply to anyone." Carlos held out his hand for the newspaper. Cecil held it out of reach.  
"Oh, there's more. Apparently you should ask for more wine because your new Aquarius friend wants to drink the plane dry."  
Carlos giggled and reached over Cecil for the newspaper. "It does not say that! Let me see."  
Cecil grinned and relinquished the newspaper. "You should read what it says for me!"  
Carlos read. "Aquarius. You will bump into a tall, dark, handsome traveller who will cause you a delay. Don't panic, your altered plans will work out better than you hoped. Ha! It's still bullshit. Coincidence."  
Cecil smiled. "Wait and see."

The steward reappeared with plastic trays and more plastic bottles. He set trays in front of Carlos then Cecil, winked at Cecil and handed them each two more mini wine bottles. Carlos examined his meal.  
"Problem?" Cecil unscrewed his third serving of wine.  
"I'm just working out what I can eat. I think I can have the salad and the bread roll." Carlos sighed. "I forgot to order a different meal."  
"Oh. You want my salad and roll too? The salad is, like, one lettuce leaf and the smallest tomato in the world. You can have my vegetables if you want."  
"No, I think there's butter on them. It's fine, I wont starve on a twelve hour flight. Thanks for the extra salad. Want my meat?" Carlos pointed to the foil dish in his lap.  
Cecil suppressed a giggle. "Yes please."

Once the meal trays were cleared away, the extra wine drunk and water bottles stowed for later, the cabin lights were dimmed. The people in the row ahead of Carlos and Cecil reclined their seats. Carlos, tired and grumpy, slammed his tray table back into position. Cecil tapped Carlos's arm.  
"Is it safe for me to sleep? I heard somewhere that people who knocked themselves out whilst falling at the feet of handsome scientists ought to stay awake."  
"There's no reason to stay awake. Sleep if you're tired. Drink some water first though, we've had like a full bottle of wine each."  
Cecil reclined his seat and closed his eyes. Carlos looked around to check where the bathroom was and struggled out of his seat. With a whispered apology, he clambered over Cecil to get to the aisle, retrieved his wash-bag from the overhead locker and joined the line. By the time he returned, Cecil was asleep. Carlos puzzled how best to get to his own seat without waking Cecil. He watched Cecil's chest rise and fall, examined the ghost of a lopsided smile on his face. Carlos knelt on the floor to unfasten Cecil's shoes and remove them. The steward crouched beside him.  
"Your boyfriend is real cute. I'll bring you a blanket, wrap it under his feet too or he'll wake up cold."  
Carlos frowned, "he's not..." but stopped when he noticed the way the steward looked at Cecil. "He's not always this cute. Snores like you would not believe." 

The steward returned with two blankets and handed them to Carlos. "Got you one too. Fasten your seatbelt over the top or I'll have to come wake you up if the air gets lumpy."  
"Air isn't... oh you mean turbulence. Thank you."  
Carlos carefully tucked the end of the blanket under Cecil's feet, unfastened and loosened his seatbelt, pulled the blanket up and clicked the seatbelt shut again. Cecil shifted a little to free his hands but remained asleep. Carlos smiled and watched until Cecil settled. He stepped over Cecil to get to his own seat, facing the seat in front and clinging to the headrest for support. As Carlos straddled Cecil, shifting his weight ready for the final hop and step to his own space, lifting one hand to move it to the next headrest, the plane lurched. Carlos fell backwards, landing on Cecil and slipping down. Cecil woke with a snort and grasped Carlos. Carlos felt heat rise up his neck yet again as Cecil's breath tickled the skin by his ear.  
"Sorry, I fell. I was trying not to wake you up and the plane lurched. Look, the fasten seatbelt sign came on. Help push me up?"  
Cecil held on to Carlos for a few seconds longer. Carlos did not try to move until Cecil released his grip. "Sorry, I thought I was still dreaming. Um, if you push the armrest up you can probably slide off me and into your seat."  
Carlos did as Cecil directed. He apologised again then wrapped himself in his blanket, fastened his seatbelt and pretended to fall asleep.

When he woke briefly a while later, Carlos noticed his seat was reclined, the armrest remained up, he had Cecil's head on his shoulder and his hand had somehow found Cecil's thigh under the blanket.


	4. On the ground

The next time Carlos woke it was because Cecil leaned over him to raise his seat back and the pilot blared an announcement about there being no cause for alarm.  
"Uh? What's going on? You okay?"  
Cecil patted his arm. "We're being diverted to a local airport because of... something. If you wait the pilot might say it again. Means we're landing soon. Um, can I hold on again? I hate landing even more than taking off. At least during take off the pilot is actively trying to steer the plane away from the ground. But landing... ugh."  
Carlos pushed his hands through his hair and tried to shake himself properly awake. He offered Cecil his arm. "Did the pilot say where we are landing?"  
Cecil clasped both of his arms around Carlos's, pulling his arm over so that his hand landed in Cecil's lap. "Um, this is the embarrassing bit. We're landing at Night Vale."  
"Oh." Carlos smiled and used his other hand to cover a yawn. "That's real convenient, you get to go home without having to catch a connecting flight. Have you asked if you can get off here?"  
Cecil shook his head.

It was a bumpy landing. Cecil screwed his eyes tight shut again and held on to Carlos's arm. Carlos stroked Cecil's face with his free hand until Cecil grasped his hand and pulled him closer.  
"Try to keep your breathing slow, Cecil. You're probably safe because my danger meter hasn't started beeping."  
Cecil nodded. Carlos felt him breathe in and out at a more controlled pace.

_Cabin crew seats for landing. Seats for landing._

The cabin steward paused his scurry to his foldaway seat by the emergency exit to ask Carlos if his boyfriend was okay. Carlos shrugged. The plane slowed, the noise intensified and Carlos felt his stomach lurch as they dropped in altitude and banked. Cecil gripped even harder. Carlos leaned his head over to Cecil and spoke to him in a calm, quiet voice. He talked about science and about time and how this moment probably felt endless but really didn't exist at all, choose a different moment to think about, a better one. 

The plane thumped onto the runway, bounced a couple of times and Carlos felt his inertia move him forward in his seat as the air brakes decelerated the plane. A couple of overhead lockers burst open and bags crashed to the floor of the aisle. Cecil shifted closer to Carlos. Carlos freed his arm and put it around the trembling man, Cecil grabbed hold of Carlos's shirt. 

_Cabin crew doors to manual and cross check._

They came to a complete stop. Their steward picked up the fallen luggage then checked on Cecil.  
"Mr Palmer, Dr Scientist, I've arranged for you to get off the plane first, as soon as you are able to move. Or if you prefer you can sit there and get off last when the crush has cleared."  
Carlos thanked the steward and murmured to Cecil, "want to get off as soon as we can, or wait here like this for a while?"  
Cecil loosened his grip on Carlos's clothing. "I want to get off with you as soon as I can."  
The steward helped Cecil up and retrieved their bags from the locker above their seats before escorting Cecil and Carlos to the door to be first off the plane. The plane lurched forward and Carlos found he had Cecil in his arms again. The steward rolled his eyes and laughed.

_Please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened until we reach the terminal building . Be aware that objects may have moved inside the overhead lockers and could fall out and cause injury. Once we reach the terminal building, please leave the aircraft in an orderly manner, collect your baggage and go through security for international arrivals. There will be ground crew in the arrivals hall to deal with arrangements for your onward journey to San Diego and beyond. Please inform the ground crew of any connections you need to catch from San Diego._

The hubbub of passengers all trying to get their bags at the same time was quickly forgotten as the two men marched through the walkway to immigration, presented their passports and found the right carousel in baggage reclaim.  
"Sorry, I'm holding you up. I see why you travel light." Cecil stared at the empty carousel.  
"Ha! It hardly matters now. I wonder if there will be another plane soon or if I'll have to hang around here. At least you don't have to wait around, you can go straight home."  
"Mmm." The carousel creaked into motion. Cecil stared at it. "Carlos, thank you for looking after me. That was my second ever flight. It was nice to have someone, you know? I hope I didn't embarrass you too much."  
Carlos laughed. "No, it's fine. Hey, is that yours?" He pointed at a bag with the same pattern as Cecil's carry-on bag. Cecil picked it up once it reached them and they strolled through customs to the arrivals hall.

Cecil hung back while Carlos spoke to a ground steward. Carlos frowned, then smiled and nodded. He walked over to Cecil. "There is a plane in a couple of hours but they're saving the seats on it for people with connections. I do not have a connection to they asked if I would be able to stay overnight in Night Vale and complete my journey tomorrow. They said they have a deal with a hotel--"  
"You're staying? Nea... I mean, I'm sorry you got delayed." Cecil examined the tips of his fingers. "Um, instead of going to some crummy hotel would you like to come home with me? Stay over? I can bring you back in plenty of time for your flight tomorrow."  
Carlos smiled and headed out of the airport. "I'd like that a lot. I guess we've spent maybe fourteen or fifteen hours together. In my life that works out as, oh, about five dates-worth of time. So I guess it's okay to go home with you. I never got as far as sixth date before."  
Cecil laughed. "That's one way of looking at it! I have no idea what time it is. Can I take you home to change then out to the Moonlite All Nite Diner for the meal of your choice? They'll make you anything you ask for if you're polite. After that we could go back home to sleep some more."

Carlos stroked his chin. Cecil watched a finger rasp over stubble. "Hmm. That sounds nice. There is something I want to find out first, though."  
"Oh? Is there some scientific mystery I can help you with?" Cecil met Carlos's gaze. Carlos shook his head, leaned forward and pressed his lips against Cecil's, once. He stood back again, face heating up, stomach churning and palms sweating, looking out over the pick-up and drop off area.  
He felt hands in his hair as Cecil pulled him into another kiss, just as gentle but longer. "Come on," Cecil tugged at Carlos's hand. "Quickest way home is by cab."


End file.
